Shire



(No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 1.

- "0. L. MERROW & A. B. SANBORN. SPLIGING THREAD ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MAGHINES.

No. 434,156. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

(No Model.) 4 SheetsShet 2.

0..-L. MERROW 85A. E'SANBORN. SPLIGING THREAD ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

No. 434,156. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

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0. L.'ME'RROW & A. B. SAN-BORN.

SPLIQING THREAD ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

Patented Aug. 12,

I III! I ill'mm 1mm Ml 4 Sheets-Sheet 4.

0. L. MERROW & A. E. S ANBOR N. V SPLI'GING THREAD ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING MACHINES.

No. 434,156. Patented Aug. 12, 1890.

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR L. MERROIV AND ALBERT E. SANBORN, OF LACONIA, NEW HAMP- SHIRE, ASSIGNORS OF ONE-HALF TO DENNIS OSHEA AND JOHN OSHEA,

JR, BOTH OF SAME PLACE.

SPLICING-THREAD ATTACHMENT FOR KNITTING-MACHINES.-

srncirrcn'rron forming part of Letters Patent No.434,156, dated August 12, 1890.

Application filed January 11, 1890- Serzal No. 336,619- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, OSCAR L. MERROW and ALBERT E. SANBORN, of Laconia, in .the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Splicing- Thread Attachments for Knitting-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention has for its object the provision of means whereby an additional or thickening thread may be introduced to a portion of the needles of the circle in a circular-knitting machine, so as 'to strengthen or thicken the circular web at desired points i 5 as, for instance, at the knees and heels and toes of stockings.

Our invention consists of means for intermittingly feeding a thickening-yarn to the needles of a knitting-machine, which means comprise a rotary hub having a projection in which there is arranged ayarn-carrying spindle so constructed as that it may be moved longitudinally in the projection, whereby in bringing the thickening-yarn into position to be fed to the needles and withdrawingit from action, it may be moved vertically by rotating the hub and horizontally by a longitudinal movement of the spindle.

By our improvements, hereinafterdesoribed 0 and claimed, we are enabled to introduce and withdraw the thickening-yarn with certainty at each operation on the same wales of the knitted fabric, and in such manner as to leave but short projecting ends at the points of introduction and withdrawal.

Reference is to be had to the annexed draw ings, and the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this specification, the same letters and figures desig- 4c nating the same parts or features, as the case may be;wherever they occur.

In the said drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a circular-rib-knitting machine equipped with my improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the same. Fig. 3 is a front elevation. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail, looking, as it were, from the center of the cylinder, showing the yarn-carrier for introducing the thickening-yarn as in action and about to be thrown out of operation. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4, showing the same yarn-carrier as out of operation and the end of the yarn as about to be severed by the shears. Fig. 6 is a perspective detail,

on an enlarged scale, showing the yarn-carrier for the thickening-yarn and some of its adjuncts.

In the drawings, a designates the needlecylinder; 1), the needles arranged to be reciprocated in grooves in the cylinder; 0, the camcylinder; d, the dial-plate; e, the dial-needles;

f, the cam-plate provided with means for operating the dial-needles; g, the yoke connecting the cam-cylinder c with the cam-platef, and h the yarn-guide for feeding the regular knitting-yarn to the needles. These parts are constructed and arranged in a common way,

so that with them and other well-known adj uncts a circular ribbed web may be knit, though, so far as our invention is concerned, the machine represented might be considered as one organized to produce a plain circular webi. e., as a machine without ribbing appliances.

The yarn-carrier for introducing the thick ening-yarn consists of a hub h, connected with a spindle 2', journaled at its outer end in the upper end of a bracket j, connected with the cam-cylinder, and at its inner end the said spindle is journaled in a block 7' secured to the cam-plate f, or, for that matter, it might be in the cam-plate itself. The hub his provided with a projecting part 7c, in which the yarn-carrying spindle Z is arranged so as to be moved longitudinally.

The spindle Z and the projection is supporting the same are provided with thread or yarn guide holes Z Z 'to properly guide the thickening-yarn to the needles and severing and holding devices.

m is a spring connected with the spindle Z and bearing against the projection k of hub h in such manner as to hold the rear end of the said yarn carrying spindle normally against what maybe termed a cam-bracket 9 5 n, which is connected with the cam-cylinder o and is curved inward at its upper end or top, as most clearly shown in Fig. 6, so that when the yarn-carrier for the thickening-yarn is thrown out of action by being raised the spindle will at the same time be moved inward toward the center of the cam-plate, carrying the thickening-yarn into the notch or yarn-holder 7", formed between the block 7' and the cam-plate f. The outer end of the spindle t' is provided with a hub 0, having radially-projecting pins 13 and (1, arranged at different points circumferentially upon the said hub 0.

r is an arm arranged on a bracket 5, which arm is so placed that in the rotation of the cam-cylinder the pin 19 may come in contact therewith, with the result of partially rotating the spindle 2' and its attached hub h.

t designates a bracket secured to the camplate f, which bracket supports the yarn-severing shears consisting of a fixed blade a and a pivoted blade o, the latter having a rearwardly-extending arm 10, which is held by means of a spring 00', to normally bear against the upwardly-extending portion of an angular lever 00, pivoted on a bracket 11, connected with the cam-cylinder c. The-said lever 00 is provided with a spring :0 which tends to hold it in contact with the arm 10 of the pivoted blade of the shears, the two springs mentioned operating to keep the parts so placed as to normally hold the shears open.

designates a pin projecting up from a bracket a, connected with a fixed part of the machine, which pin is so placed that in the rotation of the cam-cylinder the outer end of lever 00 may be brought in contact therewith and be moved upon its fulcrum so as to operate blade 12 and close the shears, the latter being opened after pin 2 is passed by means of the springs before mentioned.

I) designates a bracket connected with a fixed part of the machine, which bracket supports a radially-movable slide 0, adapted to be moved out into the path of travel of pin (1 on hub 0, and so partially rotate said hub and spindle t' in a direction contrary to that in which they were rotated by the operation of arm a" on pin 19. A spring (1 holds the slide 0' normally back out of the path of travel of p111 g.

e is a longitudin ally-movable rod supported in bracket 1), and provided with an inclined cam-piece f, which cam-piece is adapted to operate against the outer end of the slide 0', so that by raising the rod 6' the cam-piece f will effect the moving of the slide inward to the dotted line position, Fig. 1, the said slide being moved back by the spring connected therewith, as before described. The rod e may be arranged to rest on a pattern-chain g on a sprocket-wheel h, Fig. 1, a step-bystep movement being imparted to said sprocket-wheel as the cam-cylinder is rotated, and the swells 2" on the chain g passing under the end of the said rod serving to raise the latter and hold itin raised position as long as needed. The bracket 1) and its adjuncts maybe connected with the machine at a point opposite that at which the arm 0 is connected therewith.

In the knitting of a tubular web, when a point shall have been reached at which it is desired to introduce a thickening-thread into the web, rod 6 will be raised and cam-piecef on the said rod acting on the end of slide 0 will move the latter forward to the dottedline position, Fig. 1, when in the rotation of the cam-cylinder the pin q will come in contact with the slide, partially rotating hub 0 and spindle 2', bringing the yarn-carrier from the position in which it is represented in Fig. 5 to that in which it is represented in Fig. 4, and so that the thickening-thread z passing through yarn-carrying spindle Z will be fed to the needles. This operation will continue until the hub 0 reaches the arm 7', when pin 11 coming in contact with the said arm will partially rotate the hub 0 and its spindle in a direction opposite to that in which it was previously moved, bringing the yarn-carrier into the position in which it is shown in Fig. 5.

In the last-mentioned operation as the projection k of hub his raised, the spindle Zin said projection, acted upon by the cam-bracket n, will be moved inward as well as upward, carrying the yarn between and to the rearward of needles 2 3, and drawing the end into the holder 7", which consists of a simple notch formed between the collar or block 7' and the cam-plate f, to which the said block is secured and into which block or collar the inner end of spindle 2' passes. The said notch j may be formed byfil'ing away a portion of the inner face of the block 7' so that the yarn when drawn into the notch, as it will be when thrown out of action and moved inward toward the center of the cam-plate, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 6, will become to a degree wedged or held in the said notch. Other suitable known means may, however, be pro vided for holding the end of the yarn. The rotation of the camcylinder continuing the portion of the yarn 2 between the holder j and the needles will be drawn into the shears, immediately upon which stud or pin 2 will strike the outer end of lever m, closing the shears and severing the yarn. The end of the yarn 2' coming from the bobbin will be retained in the holderj' until pin q again comes in contact with the slide 0, when the before-described operations will take place. hen the yarn-carrier is thrown out of oper' ation, the yarn-guide extending up from the carrier will operate to draw off a little yarn from the bobbin before the said yarn is severed by the shears, so that when the carrier is brought into operation slack suificient will be payed out to insure the retention of the end in the holder j until the yarn is drawn between and is caught by the needles. At each operation the yarn will be drawn between the same pairs of needles, so that the beginning and ending of the knitting-in of the thickening-thread will always be on the same wales.

IIO

projection and longitudinally movable therein, and means for actuating the hub and spindle, as set forth. v 2. As a means for intermitt-ingly feeding a thickening-yarn to the needles of a knittingmachine, the rotary hub h and its projection 70, the yarn-carrying spindle in the said projection and longitudinally movable therein, a spring to move said spindle in one direction and a cam-bracket to move it in the opsite direction, means for actuating the rotary hub, and a cutter and holder for the yarn, as

set forth.

3. The combination, with the needle-cylinder, needles, and rotary cam-cylinder, of the rotary hub provided with radially-projecting pins and having the projection 70, the yarn-carrying spindle in the said projection and longitudinally movable therein, a spring to move said spindle in one direction, a cambracket to move it in the opposite direction, a cutter and holder for the yarn, and stationary stops with which the radial pins may comein contact, as set forth.

4, As a means for cutting or severing a yarn thrown out of action, the combinatiomwith the needles, needle-cylinder, cam-cylinder, dial, and dial cam-plate, of the bracket t, the shear-blades thereon, one of said blades being pivoted and provided with extended arm 10, pivoted lever 00, springs connected with said arm w and lever w, and stationary pin 2, as set forth.

5. The combination, with the needle-cylinder, needles, cam-cylinder, and regular yarn guide, of an additional yarn guide and carrier consisting of a rotary hub h and its proj ection 7a, and the yarn-carrying spindle therein, means for actuating the rotary hub and yarn-carrying spindle, and a holder and cutter for the yarn, as set forth.

In testimony whereof We have signed our names to this specification,in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, this 1st day of Januar A. D. 1890.

OSCAR L. MERROW. ALBERT E. SANBORN.

Witnesses:

S. S. J EWETT, JAMES L. SMITH. 

